Avoid the Need for Furnace Repair and Make Sure you Stay Warm This Winter

Posted on Sep 8, 2014 11:29am PDT

No one has time for a broken water heater, plumbing malfunction, or broken
down HVAC system. Unfortunately, these things do break down. Your best
option to minimize the inconvenience is to take care of these systems
throughout the year to prevent anything from going wrong in the first
place. When it comes to heating systems, there are certain malfunctions
you should be aware of, certain components of the system you should understand,
and certain steps you should take for preventative maintenance.

Beware of malfunction.

You may need
furnace repair if your heating system loses power, runs out of fuel, or if the fuel ignition
or the thermostat fail to work consistently. In heating equipment, the
furnace thermocouple, pilot light, and several components of the electrical
system are all also prone to malfunction and failure. Being mindful of
strange behavior, sounds, smells, or changes in how your system performs
will help you to recognize malfunction quickly, and get it taken care
of before the situation gets worse.

Understand your system.

Do you know if you are using an electric furnace, or a gas furnace? When
you own the home this might be an easy question to answer, but if you
rent then it is worth looking into the system so that if something goes
wrong you can identify that there is a problem and what it might be. If
the furnace is noisy, the blower will not stop, if it turns on and off
repeatedly, if the pilot will not stay lit, or will not light at all,
then it is time to call for repair, or call your landlord.

Heating maintenance services.

Did you know that gas furnaces can outlast electric furnaces by up to 10
years? They also emit 37% fewer greenhouse gases than oil furnaces do.
Whatever furnace you have, be sure to schedule maintenance in the fall.
Furnace inspection generally takes only an hour. The preventative maintenance
will be much more convenient than spending several hours dealing with
the issue, should a problem arise. Consider that you will have to call
for gas furnace repair, have a heating repair specialist come by, and
potentially lose time in trying to make sure that your family is warm
enough in the meantime. Depending on the season, a failure from your furnace
could be dangerous.

Heating and furnace repair may sometimes be unavoidable. However, you
can reduce the need for major repairs if you are aware of the common problems,
if you understand your system, and if you take steps to prevent malfunction.
Heating system maintenance is a widely available service, and can save
you from a significant bill down the line.